How Corrupt Is America?

Are Americans’ views regarding corruption for sale? It wouldn’t surprise us, judging from this month’s poll. Oh. You want to know what the poll revealed. What’s it worth to you?

O.K., O.K.: we feel, to the tune of 68 percent, that worldwide corruption is on the increase, and that money talks, with bribery the most effective option. (Flattery runs a distant sixth—but you knew that, you clever, successful, attractive reader!) And while 87 percent of us prefer to deal with incorruptible people, that doesn’t mean that nearly half of us aren’t open to tipping a (presumably not incorruptible) host or usher to get a better table or seat.

Still, our lack of morals is . . . wobbly. We consider it unacceptable to
take advantage of “sick days,” or forge a spouse’s signature, or write a recommendation for someone we don’t know well. We feel that pulling strings to get underachieving progeny into good colleges is “corrupt and unfair.” Young people, by the way, take a broader view of that last item: one-third admit it’s wrong but say they’d do it if they could.

That same age group (18–29) is equally generous regarding nepotism. While two-thirds of all Americans find it unacceptable, the most likely beneficiaries of the practice tilt slightly the other way.

The most corrupt institution in American society? The federal government, of course. Speaking of which, we must mention the apparently forgotten Spiro Agnew. Most Americans don’t remember him as a vice president who was forced to resign because of a corruption scandal. We’re tempted to observe, ponderously, that ignominy is as fleeting as glory (or something), but just this second we’re fixated on the 2 percent of Americans who believe Agnew was “a restaurant owner who served stolen meat.” Well, who knows, maybe he did, on top of everything else. It was a long time ago.

Which American institution is the most corrupt?

The federal government

Total: 38% Reps: 44% Dems: 26% Inds: 42%

The news media

Total: 17% Reps: 29% Dems: 15% Inds: 14%

Banks and financial institutions

Total: 16% Reps: 7% Dems: 25% Inds: 13%

The Police

Total: 11% Reps: 4% Dems: 17% Inds: 10%

Organized religions

Total: 7% Reps: 4% Dems: 9% Inds: 8%

Which one of the following sports is the most corrupt?

Boxing

Total: 44% Men: 43% Women: 45%

Horse racing

Total: 31% Men: 28% Women: 35%

Cycling

Total: 7% Men: 10% Women: 5%

Soccer

Total: 5% Men: 8% Women: 2%

Figure skating

Total: 2% Men: 2% Women:1%

Which Corrupt Character Would Make the Best Dinner Guest?

Vito Corleone from The Godfather

Total: 21% Men: 24% Women: 18%

Tony Soprano from The Sopranos

Total: 19% Men: 19% Women: 19%

Professor Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes

Total: 17% Men: 16% Women: 18%

Catwoman from Batman

Total: 12% Men: 12% Women: 13%

Voldemort from Harry Potter

Total: 10% Men: 8% Women: 12%

Frank Underwood from House of Cards

Total: 7% Men: 7% Women: 8%

__Corruption in the World Is . . . __

Increasing

Total: 68% Liberal: 56% Moderate: 68% Conservative: 72%

Staying the same

Total: 27% Liberal: 37% Moderate: 26% Conservative: 23%

Decreasing

Total: 4% Liberal: 5% Moderate: 5% Conservative: 3%

People Who Are Not Corruptible Are . . .

The kind of people you want to know

Total: 46% Reps: 60% Dems: 46% Inds: 40%

Insufferable and humorless

Total: 8% Reps: 4% Dems: 12% Inds: 8%

Too few to be noticed

Total: 37% Reps: 26% Dems: 38% Inds: 42%

Which Type of Person Do You Prefer to Deal With?

Corruptible

Total: 87% Reps: 91% Dems: 88% Inds: 83%

Not corruptible

Total: 9% Reps: 6% Dems: 9% Inds: 10%

Are These Activities Acceptable or Unacceptable?

Tipping a host or usher to get a better table or better seats

Acceptable: 47% Unacceptable: 49%

Paying someone to stand in line for you

Acceptable: 39% Unacceptable: 59%

Giving candy to a child to make the child shut up

Acceptable: 34% Unacceptable: 64%

Using a paid sick day for recreational use

Acceptable: 30% Unacceptable: 67%

Forging a spouse’s signature on documents in his or her absence

Acceptable: 16% Unacceptable: 82%

Writing a letter of recommendation for someone you don’t know very well

Acceptable: 14% Unacceptable: 83%

Which one of the following is the most effective method of corruption?

Bribery

Total: 34% Men: 38% Women: 31%

Lying

Total: 29% Men: 24% Women: 33%

Cheating

Total: 13% Men: 12% Women: 15%

Friendship

Total: 7% Men: 9% Women: 5%

Seduction

Total: 6% Men: 8% Women: 5%

Flattery

Total: 5% Men: 5% Women: 5%

In general, is the practice of nepotism, that is, giving jobs or favors to relatives and friends, acceptable or not acceptable?

Not acceptable

Total: 66% 18-29: 48% 30+: 70%

Acceptable

Total: 30% 18-29: 49% 30+: 25%

Which comes closest to how you would feel if you found out that friends of yours had pulled strings to get their underachieving child into a prestigious college?